


Inhibitions

by LadyJirachi



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Smut, Some angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-03
Updated: 2016-11-05
Packaged: 2018-08-28 10:44:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8442811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyJirachi/pseuds/LadyJirachi
Summary: The last thing Marinette expects is for Adrien to approach her -- and Alya -- for help.His request?To help him discover Ladybug's real identity. ORAlya suggests that Adrien and Marinette spend an entire week together under Adrien's supervision so that they can both be sure that Marinette is not Ladybug. While Adrien/Cat Noir doesn't suspect Marinette, he is utterly determined to find his lady love, who is no doubt hiding in the school.





	1. Chapter 1

“May I sit here?”

Both Marinette and Alya’s heads rose slowly from the study table in the library at the deep baritone voice speaking to them. Marinette could actually feel her hands trembling in shock as she took in the clever green eyes, the slightly mussed golden hair, and the lean, undeniably male body in front of her.

Adrien Agreste was asking if he would sit with them. With her.

At the same table.

Oh, God. Was she dreaming? Had she died and gone to heaven?

“Sure,” Alya said, since Marinette had clearly been rendered speechless by Adrien’s request.

Adrien smiled at her, then lowered himself gracefully onto the chair opposite them.

“Thanks,” he murmured.

A few beats of silence passed by. 

“So, er,” Alya asked hesitantly. “Not to be rude or anything, but why are you here, Adrien? Where’s Nino?”

Adrien tapped his long fingers thoughtfully against the table, looking deep in thought. Then he looked at both girls, and smiled again, flashing rows of dazzling white teeth that made Marinette almost light-headed. “I need your help,” he said.

Marinette straightened, intrigued. The perfect Adrien? Needing help? It couldn’t be for his studies – his grades were the top in the school. It couldn’t be for anything to do with money either, since Adrien came from an extremely wealthy background. The oddest thing was that he had chosen to come to Alya and Marinette for help. Why them? Why not Nino, or his other – many – friends?

“What do you need help for?” Marinette asked curiously.

His next words, uttered calmly and smoothly, made her head reel.

“I want to find out who Ladybug really is,” Adrien answered quietly.

_Huh?_

“Wha— ” Marinette’s mouth was agape with shock.

Whatever she had been expecting, it wasn’t this. Ladybug? Why the hell would Adrien want to know who Ladybug was?

She was stunned to hear that Adrien had acknowledged Ladybug’s existence. He had never said much about Marinette’s alter ego, after all, and she had always assumed that he was sort of disinterested in the famous superhero duo known as Cat Noir and Ladybug. Not that she had ever had the opportunity to ask him what he thought of those two well-known figures, but still.

This wasn’t just about that, though.

Acknowledging Ladybug was one thing, but now he was saying that he wanted to find out Ladybug’s real identity?

“Oh.” Alya blinked several times at Adrien. “Are you a fan of hers, too? I mean… You’ve seen my blog about her?”

“I have seen it, which is why I’m here,” Adrien told her. The corners of his perfect lips quirked. “And yeah, I guess you can say that I’m a fan of hers. That’s a little bit of an understatement, though.”

Marinette’s heart quickened. “What do you mean?”

“It means,” Adrien drawled slowly, feline green eyes gleaming in an almost uncharacteristically mischievous way, “that I want to have her. But before I can do that, I need to know who she is.”

Marinette’s arms jerked wildly, and it sent the books on her study table flying to the floor with a loud crash. The other people sitting in the library stared, but Marinette ignored them and bent forward to pick up her fallen books, her pulse racing maniacally.

Had she heard Adrien correctly? He was… interested in Ladybug?

He wanted to have Ladybug. That was what he had said.

Marinette stiffened as Adrien’s warmth drifted across the side of her body. Always the gentleman, he had knelt down beside her to help collect her books. His fingers brushed against hers as he lifted a leather-bound book from the carpeted floor, and she felt a shiver run down her spine at the sensation of his calloused skin against her own.

When Adrien handed the book politely back to her however, Marinette noticed that there was no sign of interest in his angular features as he regarded her. The curious gleam in his emerald eyes when he had been speaking about Ladybug was now absent, and all there was left was a very detached friendliness towards Marinette.

Comprehension dawned on her.

He didn’t like Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Not in that way.

And in that single heartbeat, Marinette felt as if she had just been slapped in the face. It absolutely destroyed her to realise this only now for the first time since she had joined the school. Truth was, she had still been clinging to a shred of hope all this time. 

The warning signs had been there all this time, only she had refused to notice them. He’d set up the date between herself and Nino, hadn’t he, without looking at all affected by it? She had tried to subtly flirt with him from time to time in the past, but he had never really responded to her attempts – though to his credit she had been very shy and timid about it.

No, boring, meek Marinette Dupain-Cheng evidently didn’t interest him. But for some reason, Ladybug did.

If he found out that the Ladybug he liked was actually one and the same as the boring Marinette in his class, would he also eventually lose interest in Ladybug?

Alya cleared her throat, and Marinette realised that she had spaced out for a couple of seconds. Hastily, she sat back down on her chair.

She glanced at her friend, who looked sympathetic. Alya knew of Marinette’s crush on Adrien, of course, and it was clear she felt sorry for Marinette now that Adrien had declared his affections for someone else.

The weird part was, even though Marinette knew it wasn’t someone else, it sure felt like Ladybug was someone else. It stung that Marinette – who was basically the real person behind Ladybug’s mask – didn’t interest Adrien.

No, Adrien liked the mask. He didn’t like her.

“I read your blog about finding Ladybug’s history textbook,” Adrien said to Alya, not seeming to notice Marinette’s inner turmoil. “That means she’s from this school, right? Maybe even in our class?”

Alya nodded eagerly. Despite her loyalty towards Marinette, she was a massive fan of Ladybug’s, and meeting a fellow fan only stirred her excitement.

“That’s right,” she declared. “The textbook that Ladybug left behind is used only by our school.”

“But what about the Egyptian theory?” Marinette objected hastily. “You said that Ladybug was a famous person from long ago—”

“That’s just one of many theories I have,” Alya laughed. “We still can’t deny that she might be concealing herself as a student here. After all, Ladybug has to be living somewhere here in Paris. And the textbook is a huge hint.”

“I want to find her,” Adrien said bluntly.

“Me too,” Alya sighed. “It’s my dream, I swear.”

“It’s impossible to find her,” Marinette said, hoping her voice didn’t betray her nervousness. “Even if she is in our school, there are like multiple classes from our cohort. How are we supposed to find Ladybug out of all of them?”

“I don’t care,” Adrien said flatly. “We’ll go through each and every girl in the school if that’s what it takes to find her.”

“That’ll take ages,” Marinette countered.

“I still think trying is better than not trying,” Alya said enthusiastically.

“We’ll have to set some ground rules first, though,” Adrien remarked lazily. “If I’m enlisting both of your help to find Ladybug, we need to get it out of the way first that neither of you are actually—”

“Ladybug,” Alya concluded. “Right?”

Marinette’s breath hitched.

“Exactly,” Adrien grinned. “It’s not that I suspect either of you, but we need to get this out of the way before we can team up and find the real Ladybug.”

“Well, I know I’m not Ladybug, unfortunately,” Alya sighed ruefully, “but, okay, sure. That makes sense.”

“I don’t think you are Ladybug,” Adrien told her, casually flicking a fountain pen with his long, adroit fingers. “For one thing, your skin tone is a little darker than hers, and for another, your physique is quite different from Ladybug’s.”

Marinette choked on air, and she began spluttering and coughing, her face turning a shade of dark red. Grabbing her bottle of water, she took a large gulp.

“You spend a lot of time looking at my body, Adrien?” Alya demanded hotly, her cheeks suffused with color too.

“No.” Adrien gave another uncharacteristically cheeky grin. “But I’ve spent a lot of time looking at Ladybug’s.”

Marinette didn’t know what to even say; she was absolutely tongue-tied.

When she was Ladybug, she’d barely interacted with Adrien, save for that moment in his mansion. She hadn’t realised he had been looking at her that closely – he’d seemed pretty preoccupied with other things back then. Looks could be deceiving, though.

She wasn’t sure whether to feel insulted or flattered that he had actually paid so much attention to Ladybug, but none to Marinette at all.

“I think that Marinette’s figure comes pretty close to Ladybug’s,” Adrien suddenly commented, his emerald eyes glancing at her.

Marinette let out a strangled laugh, feeling oddly self-conscious. She had to resist the irrational urge to cover herself up, even though she was fully-dressed.

“That’s just silly!” she exclaimed shrilly. “Lots of girls have body types like Ladybug!”

“I know,” Adrien chuckled, his lush voice reverberating with humor. “Don’t worry, Marinette. Other than in physical terms, I don’t think you’re anything like Ladybug.”

She sucked in a sharp breath. “How so?”

“That’s easy!” Alya snorted, waving her hand. “Marinette, you’re always so shy and timid. Ladybug is confident and she always speaks her mind!” The brunette then coughed, realising what she had just said. “Not that there’s anything wrong with being shy and timid, Marinette.”

Marinette glared at Alya, but was unable to argue. Alya was right. Somehow, as Marinette, she was always painfully meek and shy, especially around Adrien. She was unable to feel comfortable in her own skin. As Ladybug, however, she could free herself from most of her inhibitions, and not worry about what others thought of her. With a mask on your face, it was easier to act the way you wanted without worrying about being recognised.

She cared too much about how others perceived her, Marinette ruminated. This was why she only dared to do more with a mask on.

“I say we start our investigation with Marinette, then,” Adrien prompted easily. “Not because I suspect her or anything, but mainly just for screening purposes before we start the actual work.”

“So how does this investigation work?” Alya wanted to know animatedly. She bounced excitedly in her seat, and suggested, “How about we keep Marinette constantly in our sight for a whole week? This way, if anything happens to the city and Ladybug shows up to save the day, we’ll know that she’s not Marinette, since Marinette’s been with us the whole time!”

“That could work,” Adrien agreed. “We can take turns to watch over Marinette. I’ll ask Nino, too.”

“What if Ladybug doesn’t show up?” Marinette grumbled. “Who’s going to save the day then?”

“There’s still Cat Noir,” Alya said. “Besides, we all know there’s no way you’re Ladybug. Like Adrien said, this is just a screening test before we can officially get you on board for our project.”

“Only one thing,” Adrien put in thoughtfully. “You’re Marinette’s best friend, so if anyone might secretly know she’s Ladybug, it would be you. So I suggest that only Nino and I take turns to watch over Marinette instead.”

“Works fine with me,” Alya said, giving Marinette a coy, meaningful side-glance.

Marinette knew what Alya was trying to say. This was a great opportunity for her to spend time with Adrien – not to mention for a whole week! And she was aware of it too, her heart beating rapidly in her chest with anticipation.

But damn it, what if someone really got akumatized during this week, and she was unable to transform because Nino or Adrien was watching her? She couldn’t just leave the entire battle to Cat Noir – he didn’t have the ability to reverse the process for akumatized victims.

“But how about after school?” Marinette said hesitantly. “How are any of you supposed to keep an eye on me, then?”

“Well,” Adrien said slowly, sensuous lips pursed in thought, “This might be pushing our boundaries a bit too far, but what do you say about having sleepovers? Just for a week, I mean. I don’t think my father would care, but we can make up some story for your parents, Marinette – if you’d like.”

A sleepover? With Adrien? Not just for one night, but for seven nights straight?

Hell, yes! A thousand times yes! Marinette wondered if it was possible to die from bliss. She felt hazy, the joy bubbling inside her and threatening to escape from her lips in a chorus of delighted giggles. A part of her was tempted to just break out into a dance right there and then. This was surreal – none of this was real.

It was too good to be true.

“Of course,” Adrien said apologetically, “if that bothers you, we can always think of another way—”

“No, no, it doesn’t bother me at all!” Marinette babbled. “I think it’s a brilliant idea! Brilliant! Just brilliant!”

“Great.” Adrien flashed a quick smile at her. He rose from his seat with a sleek, fluid elegance that startled her. “Then we’ll officially start tomorrow.”

“Huh?” Marinette blinked at him in disappointment. “Why not today?”

Adrien looked amused. “I still need to find Nino and talk to him about this,” he replied, laughing. “I’ll see you both tomorrow morning, alright?”

Wow. Marinette had an appointment with Adrien tomorrow. An actual appointment. She wouldn’t have to ogle bashfully at him when he got out of his limousine tomorrow, and watch him walk past her as he did every morning without so much as a spare glance at her. Instead, he would be waiting for her the next day, preparing to see her just like she secretly did to see him everyday. 

She was so happy she felt almost delirious.

“Okay,” Marinette breathed out. “See you tomorrow, Adrien.”

 

* * *

 

At around near midnight, Marinette – or rather, Ladybug – settled herself onto a rooftop of an abandoned warehouse, and stared up at the night stars.

Since she would not be able to assume her alter ego for a whole week, Marinette figured that she would give herself tonight to embrace her crimson bodysuit and her mask, even though there were no villains to take down at the moment. After her parents had retired to bed, Marinette had, with the help of Tikki, transformed into Ladybug in her room. With that, she’d used her yo-yo as a grappling hook to catapult herself from her window and into the city. Before long, she’d landed on a deserted rooftop, the cool wind of the night air rushing through her dark blue pigtails. Looking up, the stars twinkled at her, and she found herself magnetized by their milky glow. It was a striking contrast against her surroundings, which were dark and shadowy.

Minutes trickled by.

Marinette eventually lost track of time as she allowed herself to enjoy her midnight adventure. She lay herself down onto the hard floor, her arms folded across her chest, staring up at the sky.

She was near giddy with rapture that she would be spending the next seven days with Adrien.

But mixed with her bliss was sorrow as well. What would happen after seven days? He would move on to another girl to find Ladybug.

She ought to be overjoyed – he liked Ladybug, for some reason, and Marinette was Ladybug! Hence, he must like her, right? It was that simple if she thought of it that way.

Only life was never that simple. She felt bitter instead. He liked the person she pretended to be; he didn’t like the girl behind the mask, the girl whose walls were stripped down to expose her true self. If Marinette was so boring in Adrien’s perspective that she had never warranted his interest in school, then how would he react if he found out Ladybug was really Marinette in disguise? Would his expectations be let down?

A huge part of Marinette was desperate to keep up with this illusion Adrien had of her. This illusion that she was confident, smart, witty, and a superhero.

“Troubled, my lady?”

Marinette jerked up from where she had been lying down, and let out a shocked squeak at the intrusion.

Damned that cat. He was as silent as one, which was probably why she hadn’t heard him arrive. She could see the exotic, slitted green eyes gleaming at her from the darkness of the rooftop. He was perched effortlessly on the edge of the roof, his knees drawn together and his boots resting on the dusty cement.

“What the hell are you doing here, Cat Noir?” Marinette demanded.

He shrugged, the black leather of his broad shoulder rising gracefully. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that instead?”

Marinette glared at him, her cobalt eyes annoyed. “For your information, I came here for some peace and quiet. But now that you’ve here, it’s clear that’s not happening anymore.”

“Ouch,” he drawled, pressing ebony clawed fingers to his chest. “You sure know how to wound a kitten, bugaboo.”

She snorted, ignoring his exasperating pet name for her. “You’re no kitten.”

Cat Noir’s pearly whites glinted as his perfect lips curved upwards into a wicked smile. “No. No, I’m not.”

A pause, pregnant with tension, ensued. 

Marinette was about to finally retort something back to him, when suddenly – he moved so fucking fast! – he was right behind her. She felt his gloved hands curl around her slim shoulders gently. Despite her astonishment, she couldn’t help but notice that he was careful not to let his obsidian claws touch her flesh.

“What are you doing?” Marinette hissed, trying to shift herself loose from his warm touch.

“Haven't you ever had a massage, my lady?” he murmured into her ear. “You’re clearly troubled by something.”

She stiffened in indignation, about to yell at him, but he began lightly rubbing her slender shoulders, his clever palms kneading her tightly bunched muscles in hypnotic circles, and almost instantly she felt the slightest bit of tension ebb away.

A soft moan escaped Marinette’s lips before she could stop herself, and judging by the masculine chuckle behind her, he had heard it. She was immediately thankful for the darkness of their surroundings, for her oval-shaped face had turned as scarlet as her bodysuit.

“Tell me, Ladybug,” Cat Noir said softly. “What’s wrong?”

“Just some stuff that happened in my, uh, other life,” Marinette said awkwardly. She wasn’t sure how to address the separate life she had from the superhero one she shared with Cat Noir. “It’s no big deal.”

“I wish you would tell me who you really are,” Cat Noir murmured silkily. “Maybe we know each other in this other life. Then I could help you with everything that’s troubling you.”

Marinette sighed. First Adrien and now Cat Noir were pursuing her identity. She mildly wondered what would happen if Cat Noir found out another boy liked her.

That would make the cat fur fly.

“You know we’re supposed to keep our real identities secret, Cat Noir,” she said tartly. “Besides, I highly doubt I know you in our other lives.”

“I’m pretty sure I know you in at least one of the nine I have,” he drawled, and she rolled her eyes, though not without some amusement at his joke.

His warm breath ghosted over her neck. He smelled… delicious, she thought absently. It was the scent of a virile, attractive male.

Then her blue eyes widened in horror when she realised what she was thinking.

No! How could she think such things towards another man that was not Adrien?!

Marinette tried to disentangle herself from Cat Noir, but stilled in surprise when he curled the locks of her dark blue hair gently around his long, leather-clad fingers. Due to the scarcity of light around them, her hair probably looked to be a shade of black in his hand.

And then his head bent and she felt his lips kiss her cheek, gently caressing her cool skin. The sensation, while completely unexpected, was soothing and sweet, and she emitted a dumbfounded gasp.

What was going on? Cat Noir had never been this brazenly forward with her before. He’d kissed her hand numerous times, yes, but never on her cheek!

The next thing she knew, his tapered claws were peeling the black collar of her spotted bodysuit away from her neck. She faintly registered that his fiery mouth had languorously slid down to the thin curve of her neck, and his tongue slyly swept across the tender expanse of her flesh. Abruptly, the feeling became less chaste, and more… sensual.

Her brain was screaming at her to bolt, that this was not Adrien, but the heated sensation swelling between her legs made the logic in her mind foggy. Her arousal only intensified when his sharp teeth sank into the sensitive skin of her neck, and she moaned uncontrollably. His simmering tongue was lapping with controlled strokes at her flesh, and she shivered, clenching her toes in an effort to rein herself in.

Cat Noir was sucking on a certain spot on her neck, his talented feline tongue lashing on her skin, his teeth scraping, and his sculpted lips kissing her. She shuddered and shook, unable to resist his ministrations. 

When he finally pulled away, Marinette flinched as unforgiving cold air assaulted the throbbing, wet spot on her neck. It felt raw, slightly painful, and searing hot, and she touched it tentatively, her heart pounding so fast within her ribs that she wondered if he could hear it.

Her throat was dry.

“Your earrings,” he said quietly, and she turned as rigid as stone when she realised that her earrings were beeping.

“Leave!” Marinette burst out urgently, glaring at him. Her voice was hoarse. “Go! Now! Please!”

She couldn't do this. She couldn't expose herself like this when she was in such a vulnerable mess. 

Car Noir’s lips curved upwards into a diabolic smile, and she was flabbergasted when he executed a mock bow to her.

“As you wish, my lady,” he responded, sounding unruffled. His green eyes gleamed again at her, this time so intently that she swallowed. Hard. “I will see you again, then. Maybe sooner than you think.”

And then the male spread his long, muscled arms out, ink-black claws outstretched in the air, and tilted backwards. He had never looked more magnificent and beautiful. The satisfied smile still on his face, he promptly dropped himself away from the edge of the rooftop, sable tail whipping. 

He was gone.

Show-off. 

Marinette slapped her hand over the side of her ravaged neck, her pulse still thundering in her veins and the area between her thighs trembling.

Her belly tightened. She might be a virgin and a novice at anything to do with sex, but she was pretty sure Cat Noir had just given her a hickey. There was no way all his suckling wouldn’t have left a mark.

Had he marked her so that he could find her in her civilian form?

Oh, no.

How was she supposed to face Adrien tomorrow? The hickey was right on her neck – he would definitely notice! Not to mention she was supposed to spend the entire day with him tomorrow!

Oh, fuck.


	2. Chapter 2

Marinette's hands were clasped together nervously, her heart in her mouth, as the familiar sleek black limousine pulled up in front of the school. Already some other girls were gathered outside of the vehicle, Chloe standing imperiously in front of them.

The door opened and Adrien stepped out, his golden hair ruffled from the wind. He wore a polo tee that filled out his broad shoulders nicely and a pair of skinny jeans that delineated his long, sinuous legs. The gorgeous male, with his tousled hair and sculpted features, looked like every girl's wet dream – and that instantly became more evident when Chloe flung herself at him, her arms clinging to his sides.

"Adrien! It's so nice to see you today!" the blonde girl sighed in exaggerated tones into his chest, batting her lashes at him.

"Ignore her," Alya said sympathetically to Marinette.

Marinette imagined herself tearing Chloe off him, then dunking Chloe's luscious head of long, silky blonde hair into a toilet bowl. Repeatedly. Just fantasizing about Chloe's cries of fury and horror as the dirty water splashed about her pretty face made Marinette feel slightly better. It was vicious of her, she knew, but she couldn't help it.

"It's nice to see you too, Chloe," Adrien said kindly, before gently – but firmly – disentangling himself from her.

And then, he walked towards Marinette and Alya.

Ignoring the childish urge to stick her tongue out at Chloe, Marinette smiled awkwardly at Adrien.

After the insanity that had occurred last night, a troubled Marinette had tossed and turned the rest of the night in her bed while fervently debating what to do next morning when school started. On a desperate whim, she had told Tikki that she was going to stay put at home and hide in her room like a coward until the hideous hickey faded away, but Tikki had advised her instead that she should face her fears, much to Marinette's indignation. Marinette just couldn't let Adrien see that hickey – while she wasn't sure what his exact reaction would be, he might be horrified and might think she was easy, or something. It was too humiliating!

Finally, she'd put on a bright pink turtleneck sweater today to conceal the glaringly obscene mark Cat Noir had left on the side of her neck. It was a bizarre and unwise choice of clothing because it was currently summer and the weather was swelteringly hot. A baffled Alya had commented about it almost immediately the moment she saw Marinette in school earlier.

This was all stupid, fucking Cat Noir's fault. She was so going to kill him when she saw him again.

"Hey," Adrien greeted both girls, not seeming to notice Chloe fuming behind him.

"Hi, Adrien," Marinette said nervously, in a disgustingly shrill, high-pitched voice that she regretted the moment it came out of her mouth.

"Hey, you guys!" Nino's voice joined the mix as he approached them. His glasses were slightly askew and his red cap was crooked, probably in his haste to get to school on time. He winked at Alya, then said, "Adrien filled me in about our plans for the week. I gotta say, this sounds pretty cool! Imagine if we actually do find Ladybug!"

"I know, right," Alya sighed dreamily.

"Nice sweater," Adrien remarked offhandedly to Marinette, eyeing her turtleneck with a raised brow.

"Yeah, that's what I said," Alya snorted. "Why the hell she's wearing this during summer, I have no idea. I'm already sweating like a pig in my spaghetti straps."

"I'm not feeling that hot, actually," Marinette blurted hastily, grasping for straws to explain her peculiar wardrobe.

"I don't think so. Your face is covered in sweat," Alya pointed out skeptically.

"Oh!" Marinette wiped her cheeks quickly with the back of her palm, feeling increasingly embarrassed.

She suddenly noticed that Adrien was staring at her with a very curious look on his face. There was something strange brewing in his exotic, emerald eyes, almost as if – and she wasn't sure if she was overthinking this or misreading his thoughts – he was seeing her in a completely new light for the first time.

Oh God, oh God, was the hickey showing after all?

Suddenly overwhelmed by an irrational paranoia, Marinette slapped her hand frantically over the side of her neck, right at the exact area where Cat Noir had suckled it and left the love bite. Much to her relief, the soft pink cotton of her sweater met her fingers, indicating that her bruised skin was safely covered.

Her relief didn't last long, however, when she saw that Adrien's eyes had widened briefly at her action, before slowly narrowing into slits. Something dark and intent was now flashing within those malachite orbs.

She stared dumbly back at him, feeling confused and slightly flustered by his reaction.

"So shall we head to class?" Nino wanted to know. "I'm gonna melt if I don't get some air-conditioning right now, man!"

Marinette secretly agreed; her sweater was suffocating her body into a ball of simmering heat. She followed the others through the main doors of the school, and stiffened in both excitement and anxiety when Adrien fell into step next to her.

All the same, she couldn't help but feel glad that the strange expression on his face was now gone.

"I hope this… investigation doesn't bother you," Adrien said applogetically.

"Not at all," Marinette laughed, with a lightheartedness she wasn't sure she felt. "I've got nothing to hide, anyway!"

The corner of his lips lifted. "Really?"

"Of course," Marinette stammered, taken aback. Did he suspect her? He couldn't, right? She'd given him no reason to suspect her. In fact, Adrien had stated only yesterday that he didn't suspect her.

Why would he change his mind so fast within the span of a day?

Convinced that she was overthinking everything, Marinette forced herself out of her worried reverie. Instead, she allowed herself to revel in the fact that she was spending time with Adrien. Did this mean she would be accompanying him to all his modelling photo shoots, fencing lessons, and Chinese tutoring sessions? After all, Adrien's schedule was packed each day, and that didn't just include school. Her heartbeat sped up with eagerness – she knew his timetable from inside out, but she'd never thought that she would get to see it all for herself, and with his permission too!

"What do you think of Cat Noir and Ladybug?" Adrien inquired casually, cutting through her musings.

Marinette blinked. Was this a test, and part of today's investigation?

"I think they make a good team," she said cautiously, though wild resentment bubbled in her chest at the thought of Cat Noir. Resentment, and something else that she didn't want to identify. "They've worked well together in saving the day."

Then, because Marinette was still feeling particularly resentful towards Cat Noir, she added impulsively, "But that's all they should ever be. Colleagues."

To her alarm, a hint of the same strange intensity from earlier returned to Adrien's face at her words.

"Why do you say that?" he queried, and it was impossible to tell from his tone what he was thinking. He sounded neither disapproving nor approving.

"I–I mean, they're heroes," Marinette stammered. "They shouldn't mix business with pleasure. It's about keeping it professional."

"That's a good point." Adrien nodded. "They should keep both their professional and personal lives separate."

"Exactly!" Marinette exclaimed. See, Adrien was a thousand times more mature than Cat Noir! This was why she would always prefer the former to the latter. If only Cat Noir could actually listen to Adrien one day, assuming they ever met.

"Maybe they should save all that 'pleasure', as you say," Adrien held up his fingers to imitate a pair of quotation marks, "for when they spend their personal time together, and not when they're working."

Marinette's jaw dropped.

This was not what she had been expecting.

Why would Adrien encourage Cat Noir and Ladybug to spend more time with each other, anyway? Didn't he say he wanted to have Ladybug for himself? Why on earth would Adrien allow Cat Noir to steal his limelight?

"I think," she said tentatively, "that in order for them to remain professional, they shouldn't reveal any of their personal lives to each other at all."

"Really?" Adrien responded slowly, watching her keenly. "And what if they know each other in real life, but have no idea?"

Marinette let out a disbelieving giggle. "I'm sure all of us would recognise Cat Noir the moment we see him in his civilian form!"

Adrien looked suddenly intrigued. "How come?"

"He's always making bad jokes and lame puns," Marinette said, shaking her head. The foursome were approaching their classroom door – Alya and Nino were chatting animatedly with each other from where they stood together in front of Mariette and Adrien. "If we ever meet him without his mask on, we'd still know it's him the moment he opens his mouth."

"Well, I think his jokes are pretty cool," Adrien replied amusedly, a small grin curving his flawless lips.

"He's totally immature," Marinette said primly.

Adrien was still looking at her, but the smile on his face had grown disconcertingly wider. She'd never seen him smile so much before, and it was very, very odd. Yet at the same time, she felt pleased with herself. She didn't know how, but she had made the usually reticent and quiet Adrien smile!

They entered the spacious classroom (a few students had already seated themselves, though the teacher hadn't yet arrived), and much to Marinette's delighted astonishment, Adrien turned to Nino and said, "You don't mind if I sit next to Marinette today, do you?"

Oh, God. This was just too good to be true!

She had never, ever sat next to Adrien before in class, though it remained one of her greatest wishes in life. She'd always been seated beside Alya, while Nino and Adrien were always both seated in front of them. Marinette had lost track of the number of times she'd stared at the back of Adrien's golden head and fervently wished he'd turn around and just… look at her the way she looked at him.

"No problem, bro," Nino told Adrien cheerily.

Alya winked at Marinette, who turned red. She prayed that Adrien wouldn't detect her blush as she sat down on the chair beside him, putting her sling bag down on the floor. He followed suit, lowering his satchel.

Any moment now, and she would awaken from this wonderful dream.

And then, Adrien leaned over so that he was shockingly close, causing her to inhale sharply, and he murmured silkily into her ear.

"So. Won't you tell me what you're hiding under that sweater… _my lady_?"


End file.
